It translates it as 'if greater than 1,000,000, do this if greater than 1,000 do this else do this'.
However, this is not the way in which Excel translates this custom format. Note that according to the general syntax, the format before the first semicolon would be used for positive values, the next format for negative values, and the third for zero values. While this is the general syntax for custom formats, you can 'fudge' the formats a little in the way you are doing. Note that the first format is used when the value is positive, the second when it is negative, the third when the value is exactly zero, and the fourth when the value is text. This is the general syntax of a custom format: The reason is because a single custom format can only have four conditions, each separated by a semicolon. Unfortunately, what you want to do is not possible with a single custom format. Douglas wants to know how to adjust the custom format so that negative numbers appear in this same fashion, but in red with parentheses around them, like ($1.0K). He has created a custom format that displays large numbers the way he wants, such that $1,000,000 is displayed as $1.0M and $1,000 is displayed as $1.0K. Douglas is having some problems getting his head around a custom format he needs.
